Voyage of the Damned

Author: Frances White
Published: 2024
Target audience: Adults (Appropriate ages 16+)

My father always says: 'You can't run from your responsibilities,' but he lacks imagination. Besides, I'm not running. I'm sidestepping.

For a thousand years, the empire of Concordia has maintained peace between its twelve provinces. To mark the anniversary of this momentous occasion, the emperor's ship embarks on a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess' mountain. Aboard are the heirs of each province, all possessing a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing.

Except one: jokester, slacker, and perpetual disappointment Ganymedes Piscero. In Concordia, Blessings transfer from parent to only a single one of their children, who then becomes the leader of their province. However, thanks to his father's philandering ways, Ganymedes did not inherit his family's Blessing, and if word gets out the whole of his province could be eradicated.

But Ganymedes has a plan. If he can convince his fellow heirs that he’s too incompetent and insufferable, he can be declared unfit to lead and be dismissed to live out his days responsibility-free and safe from anyone discovering his secret. And a twelve-day boat trip with eleven people who already dislike him is the perfect time to put this plan in action.

But when a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. As the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must find allies and answers if he hopes to unmask the killer, or the whole empire as he knows it may fall...

Excerpt:

As far as sleuthing partners go, I didn't think through teaming up with a man who rarely has the physical stability to step outside his province, and a child who has never met another Blessed in her depressingly short life.

That means it's down to me to puzzle this out, which isn't ideal - I've dedicated most of my life to conceiving of plots to escaping talking to these people. Now I need to work out which is capable of murder, or better yet - why.

Review:

Campy, carnivalesque, and unexpectedly compelling, 'Voyage of the Damned' presents a magical murder mystery from debut British author Frances White. Blending comedy and suspense, romance and revelations, 'Voyage of the Damned' is a flawed but fun novel to add to your 'To Be Read' list.

A defining feature of this book is the exuberant personality and irreverent narration of the story’s main character. As the scion of the poorest and lowliest Fish province, Ganymedes - or Dee, as he prefers - is inherently disregarded and looked down upon by his Blessed peers. Ostracised and forced to live a lie by his father, Dee is determined to annoy everyone until he can get sacked from his duties and avoid discovery. He is sarcastic, excessive, and occasionally a bit narcissistic, but also someone who is authentic and cares for his friends. This makes for a polarising reading experience, where some readers will find Dee’s personality intrusively immature and too much like a Tumblr post come to life to become invested in his character. For others, Dee’s reliance on ridiculousness and self-deprecating humour to cope with his loneliness and sense of worthlessness makes for a painfully relatable and sympathetic journey. Either way, this characterisation presents an undeniably distinct and memorable protagonist, and lends a refreshingly unique narrative voice to this tale.

The story is set on a twelve day sea journey with each of the province heirs on board, creating a microcosm of the empire's socio-economic disparities in a maelstrom of arrogance, privilege, distrust, and desperation. And as murderous motivations unfurl, ‘Voyage of the Damned’ show itself to be a riveting story of class divisions, structural inequality, and how far people will go to bring about a solution.

'Voyage of the Damned' is a book with great potential, but stumbles in the execution. Despite being marketed to older readers and rife with ribald humour, the storytelling style and characterisation is more typical of Young Adult books. The majority of characters are in their twenties, yet they often speak and act like teenagers. This does make sense in the context of the story, as the heirs are a bunch of emotionally stunted individuals due to the expectations and responsibilities thrust upon them from a young age - such as the 14-year-old heir of Ox province charged with defending the empire's imperilled border. This is compounded by the power imbalance between the poorer southern regions in service of the more powerful northern regions, resulting in politically-weaker heirs jostling to curry favour and safeguard their province's well-being. However, in practice, the characters' interactions are more akin to high school posturing that the intricate social-political manoeuvring that audiences expect from modern fantasy books. Readers picking up 'Voyage of the Damned' anticipating a story comparable to other well known adult fantasy books such as George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire’ will likely feel mislead. Ultimately, the book would have been stronger if it had been reworked to release as a YA novel.

Furthermore, while the world building is fascinating and intertwines well with the murder investigation plot, the novel is more focused on Dee’s interactions with the other heirs in uncovering their backstories and magical abilities, leaving the mystery to largely reveal itself overtime rather than Dee skilfully deducing the answers. While it is an entertaining read, audiences coming into the story expecting a tight-knit murder mystery worthy of being marketed as “If Agatha Christie wrote fantasy” may be disappointed. Some of the reveals do not land as well as they should, and a few of the large cast are rather one-note and underdeveloped. Finally, the use of present-day anachronisms - such as hot dogs, finger guns, cheese graters, being a top or bottom, and the idea that it's cool to walk away from explosions without looking back - can also feel jarring and not cohesive with the novel's high fantasy setting.

While there are plot elements that I wish were done differently and character aspects that would benefit from greater development, overall I found this book to be an enjoyable read. ‘Voyage of the Damned’ is a lively read full of colourful characters, an entertaining locked room mystery, dramatic secrets and suspects in a vibrant fantasy setting, and so much more. If a queer murder mystery at sea sounds like your cup of tea, then ‘Voyage of the Damned’ may very well be the book for you.